When Abraham Lincoln consigned his pocket watch to Jonathan Dillon in 1861, the immigrant watchmaker, while repairing it, inscribed a massage inside the watch. Then, he close it up and gave it back to the President, who died without knowing about this fact.

“Jonathan Dillon April 13-1861. Fort Sumper was attacked by rebels on the above date. Thank God we have a government”, was the secret message. The one unknown till when the pocket and now mysterious watch was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. As it was never opened, the secret remain through the years as a legend.

(Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch)

Rumours of the hidden message have existed for more than 150 years, but they were never taken really serious and so they remained more as a legend than a fact.

It was then, this past February that Douglas Stiles, Dillon’s great-great grandson, found a New York Times article in which this story was written and so he told the Smithsonian.
On March 10th, Smithsonian officials and media members met to prove if it was a legend or a real fact.

(Watchmaker Thomas (Towson Watch Company) )

Watchmaker Thomas (Towson Watch Company) was the chosen one to open Lincoln’s pocket watch. The watch was truly inscribed in three different sections. Not a legend but a fact. Jonathan Dillon really wrote inside Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch.